We met… We met in the local GAA Club (very romantic). Paddy was talking to a friend of mine and I waved at her and Paddy thought I was waving at him… ha! The rest is history…

Our proposal… In our very special place in Spain. Benithachel is our home away from home. We holidayed there for the first time in 2007 and got engaged there in 2014. Paddy proposed with my mam’s engagement ring and two tickets to New York to pick out my own ring.

My dress… Was an Amanda Wyatt design bought from the lovely Claire at The White Room Mullingar… really enjoyed the experience with Claire.

My hair and make-up… was done by Raquelle in Nux Salon Javea and Mariajose in Gilbert Javea (both excellent). I’m a total glam girl and hair and make-up was very important to me.. Both girls did an exceptional job.

Our ceremony… Was beautiful. Personal, religious, romantic – everything we wanted. Fr. John was such a gentleman and allowed us personalise the ceremony with music, prayers and poems.

We chose our venue because… We only viewed one venue; Casa Sontanja. It’s out of this world.

Our wedding theme/colours…Romantic Luxury Garden Party in the beautiful Casa Sontanja. All very neutral, with pastel colours and candle light. Heidi Francis (Florist and decorator) captured my vision to perfection. She is exceptional.

My favourite part of the wedding day… The dinner reception… it was like being in a fairy-tale. The garden was lit up with candles and tea lights and the flowers, centrepieces, food, speeches, the background music everything… it was beautiful, sitting at the top table with my new husband and having all our friends and family in front of us having the time of their lives in such a beautiful setting.

We chose our wedding coordinator because… Marcella’s (Your Dream Wedding In Spain) reviews speak for themselves… anyone who is lucky enough to have Marcella as a wedding planner is in the very best of hands.

We chose our photographer because… Paul and Yola were one of the highlights of our day – from the first moment they arrived at the house they were full of compliments and really made us feel at ease in front of the camera.. I’m blown away by their finished photos and will be so grateful to always have the memories.

Our honeymoon… Three weeks booked with Tour Americas. We travelled the West Coast of America and finished in Cancun, Secrets Maroma.

Our menu… El Poblet was delicious. One of my fears was that the food would be “too fine dining” for some of our guests and we’d end up with lots of uneaten food and hungry guests but El Poblet did everything we asked and every single person raved about the food and wine. It was so amazing – we would love to sit down to it again.

My piece of advice for other brides… It’s a cliché but just enjoy it. I am a control freak and everything has to be done to military precision ALWAYS and that’s how I planned my wedding but on the day I let it all go. From 7:30 am when I woke up to 4:30am when I went to sleep, I enjoyed every single second and I have no regrets.

Former editor, current contributor, (she just can't let go!) Karen enjoys writing fashion but is known to dabble in decor from time to time. Her favourite section on the site is the Real Wedding section, followed closely by the Health & Fitness forums.